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IRacing enthusiasts compete online against other gamers. Do well, and a gamer can move up to the next series. Photo by iRacing

iRacing.com: The closest a gamer can get to real racing

Plenty of options available to the gamer who wants to move up the ranks

March 7, 2017

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Over the past decade, virtual racing has become the biggest trend for tech-savvy racing enthusiasts hoping to emulate their favorite Sunday afternoon icons, and iRacing.com is their platform of choice.

Launched in 2008, iRacing emerged from the ashes of the popular “NASCAR Racing 2003 Season” video game developed by Papyrus Design Group. Using laser technology to scan cars and tracks to fractions of an inch, iRacing has created a legitimately immersive experience. Combine this with consulting OEM partners and real-life drivers, and the company has replicated the feeling of turning a 200-mph lap around Daytona International Speedway or barreling through Eau Rouge at Spa-Francorchamps.

But just like the real world, members of the 60,000-plus subscriber base can’t simply jump into a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car or a formula single-seater with no prior experience. Instead, they begin their careers as rookies, slowly working up to faster machines.

Licenses must be acquired to move up the ladder, and they can only be earned based on results and avoiding contact at all costs. Incidents have consequences and can set back weeks, even months, of progress.

And that’s the point, according to executive vice president and executive producer Steve Myers.

A typical setup for a gamer who wants to compete includes a steering wheel, nice-sized screen and a sound Internet connection. Photo by iRacing

“We recognize that our users want a more realistic experience,” Myers said. “Console gamers just want to pick up a controller and race against their friends for a couple of minutes before moving on to something else. But our users are those who will spend all afternoon trying to crack 29 seconds at Charlotte.”

iRacing can be enjoyed on a modest budget. Myers says the software is compatible with any modern Windows operating system and can run with minimal hardware updates. In addition to a standard PC and monitor, an entry-level steering wheel and pedal set costs roughly $150.

The service is subscription-based. Tracks and cars are purchased as add-on content. The best-value model is two years at $100, but the company routinely offers discounts and one-month/three-month tiers targeted at beginners.

“We see that as a low-risk investment,” Myers said. “We encourage first-time users to just try it for a month to make sure their system can support it. From there, they can decide if this is something they want to invest in.”

And Christopher DeHarde has invested. A Best Buy employee and motorsports blogger, the Louisiana native has pumped several thousand dollars into his setup.

He spends at least an hour a day—and usually more—turning laps.

“I recently competed in a Rolex 24 sim with three buddies,” DeHarde said. “We lasted about nine and a half hours. I drove 92 laps around Daytona and handed it off to my friend, thanks to iRacing’s driver-swap feature. One of my co-drivers got loose and was hit by a GT car and the overall race leader—three cars out in one incident. That’s how our race ended. We finished 17th overall, out of 42 cars.”

Many gamers aspire to advance to the big time -- the NASCAR Cup Series. Photo by iRacing

The software’s devotion to realism has drawn praise from Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski and Rubens Barrichello. It’s that synergy between iRacing and the real world that has allowed some of the best sim racers to move into real racing.

The most notable example is current NASCAR Xfinity Series contender William Byron, who famously used iRacing to persuade his parents to allow him to get behind the wheel of a Legends Car at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“I grew up a fan and always wanted to race, but I didn’t know how to go about it,” Byron said. “I was 13 and watching the Cup race at Sonoma, and TV kept bringing up iRacing and how many drivers were using it to get better at road racing. So I gave it a shot later that week, and I just kept getting better.”

He started 683 sim races in his first two iRacing seasons, winning 104 of them. This helped prove to his dad that it would be worth the investment to secure him a real-life Legends Car. Plus, it assured his mother that he wouldn’t be a safety risk to himself or others.

Byron is far from the only success story. Josh Berry earned a ride with Earnhardt’s Late Model program due to his success in Earnhardt’s private invitational league, while Roush Fenway Racing development driver Ty Majeski is the highest-rated oval driver on iRacing, according to Myers.

This isn’t a passing fad, either. The FIA Formula E Series promoted a virtual race in January at CES in Las Vegas. Offering a purse of $1 million, the race paired real-world Formula E drivers with the best sim racers in an event contested on a digital Vegas street course.

In a world in which Major League Gaming is a thing, virtual racing will only continue to grow in stature. Expect the lines between digital and reality to continue to blur.